The invention relates to a grain cart having an improved auger arrangement for removing grain from the cart.
Grain carts are typically used in combination with a combine to temporarily store the grain during harvest. The cart is generally towed by a prime mover, such as a tractor, alonside the combine to receive the grain as it is harvested by the combine. The cart is then towed to a truck where the grain is discharged from the cart into the truck for transport to a permanent storage facility, such as a grain elevator. The use of the grain cart thus improves the efficiency of the grain harvest.
As is well known to those skilled in the art, the grain is unloaded from the cart into a truck through an auger conveyor which is typically mounted on the left front corner of the cart to provide the best possible visibility for the operator during unloading. Typically, the auger is in two sections, a lower section rigidly mounted within the lower portion of the cart and a second or upper section that carries the grain upwardly to a height sufficient where it can be discharged into a truck or other storage or transport facility. Generally, the upper auger section is pivotly mounted so that it can be swung to a storage or transport position when not in use. Pivoting of the auger between the lower and upper sections requires a mechanical connection between the augers and-requires a locking mechanism to keep the auger sections in place and prevent grain leakage. Illustrations of these typical auger arrangements are shown in Grieshop U.S. Pat. No. 5,013,208, Warsaw U.S. Pat. No. 4,846,621, and Barker U.S. Pat. No. 4,274,790. In all of these prior art patents, the upper section of the auger has two positions, a transport position and an extended position where the upper section is locked and joined with the lower auger section. With the auger systems of the prior art grain carts, in order to distribute the grain discharged from the cart, the cart itself must be moved since the position of the upper auger section is fixed once locked in place in its extended discharge position.
Also, typically the augers of prior art grain carts are driven from the power take off units of the tractor through shafts, universal joints, gears, chains, etc. These drive systems require a considerable amount of maintenance and present safety hazards particularly if not properly guarded.
There is therefore a need to overcome the limitations of the prior art structures by providing an auger discharge system that eliminates the problems associated with the pivotal connection between the upper and lower auger sections. There is a further need to provide an auger discharge arrangement which allows the auger to pivot to different unloading positions without moving the cart. The auger arrangement of the invention is intended to overcome the foregoing limitations and deficiencies of the prior art.